How do you heal?

Chapter 76: I Warned You

Once the receiving line had disappeared and the guests had all gathered into the conference room Alex stood at the back of the room with Sam and watched as Finch walked up to the podium to call everyone's attention.

"Hello everyone. My family and I would like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for being here with us today. I know my dad, while jealous to be missing this gathering, would be thankful as well. We are going to have a few drinks, mingle and share stories here before we head over to the other room to have dinner so let's get started. Naturally my siblings and I will all have our turns up here but as some of you may know Fletcher and Annie don't do well with crowds or public speaking so they have prepared a special tribute." With that Annie and Fletch walked up to the front of the room, Fletch carrying an acoustic guitar. Finch handed Annie the microphone before walking away.

Alex could see the nerves rolling off her but she took a deep breath and brought the microphone up. "Hi everyone, like Finch said Fletch and I aren't great with public speaking but we knew we wanted to share something. So we decided to share with you something that we loved to share with our dad. Music. So here is a song he loved to play back in his glory days of being a dive bar musician."

Fletcher had seated himself in a folding chair and Annie walked over to stand beside him as he started playing The Way by Fastball.

Alex chuckled to herself a little and scanned the room. As she did so she saw Bucky looking uncomfortable in the corner, fidgeting and swaying back and forth before walking out of the room. She mumbled something to Sam about using the bathroom and followed him.

Bucky walked down the long hallway toward the front door, he had to get some air. He hadn't wanted to be here in the first place and he'd been uncomfortable since the minute he walked in and saw Annie glare daggers at him. She didn't want him here and it felt intrusive to watch her sing a tribute to her dad. When he was almost at the door he was suddenly grabbed by the collar and dragged into the bathroom.

"Forty-eight hours Barnes!" Alex said an inch from his face after she'd slammed him into a wall.

"Jesus, Alex, what the fuck?" He asked, pushing her back and straightening his jacket.

"There were barely forty-eight hours from when I warned you in the kitchen to when I got the call to come back to the compound. So what did you fuck up so bad in forty-eight hours that Annie's eyes are trying to shoot lasers through your fucking head?"

"Why don't you ask her?" He growled and tried to push past but she placed herself between him and the door and stared down her nose at him.

"If you haven't noticed, she's a little busy. So I'm asking you."

"I don't need this right now." He tried to reach around her to open the door and a fist hit his face causing him to stumble back. That actually hurt. He could feel his lip had been split open and blood trickled down his chin. "Are you crazy, what was that for?"

"Because you deserved it and I told you I would." Alex stalked him down and backed him up to the wall again before delivering a gut punch, hissing in his ear as he doubled over. "Stay the hell away from her or I will figure out a way to kill super soldiers."

Alex walked out of the bathroom and Bucky slammed a hand into the wall before grabbing some paper towels and heading outside.

Annie wandered around the room for a while, Pietro at her side, as she listened to stories being told about her dad and her heart hurt. Several people had come up to offer their condolences and compliment her on her song with Fletch and she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

"Hey, I'm going to sneak outside for a few minutes. I just need some air." She whispered to Pietro.

"I'll come with you."

She shook her head and saw the concern flash on his face. "I'm okay, I just need a few minutes. Cover for me if anyone asks? Say I'm in the bathroom or something."

Pietro hesitated for a second but agreed and watched as she slipped out the door. A minute later Alex slid up beside him holding ice on her hand. "What happened to you?"

"More like what did I happen to. I have an idea why Annie didn't sleep Friday night and it involves Barnes."

Annie pulled her coat around her as she sat down on one of the bench swings at the reflecting pool and took a deep breath. Seeing all of these people and hearing their stories only reinforced her belief that her father was one of the kindest men to ever exist and she couldn't help but think he deserved more time. She closed her eyes and a few more tears began to fall when she heard shuffling footsteps.

"Looks like you could use some company."